3 Gurus

Quality Quill

COMPARING THREE QUALITY MANAGEMENT GURUS

W. Edwards Deming
Joseph M. Juran
Philip B. Crosby

Prepared by:

Abdelatif Hegazy
Director Quality
TECOM Investments
Tel:
+971 4 3913239
Fax:
+971 4 3918777
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A member of DUBAI HOLDING
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3 Gurus

Quality Quill

FOREWORD
Many organizations worldwide are focusing today on quality to restore their competitive edge.
We know now that an emphasis on quality improves overall productivity and reduces costs.
Business people used to think just the opposite; that quality costs and that they have to create
products of high quality. As a result organizations emphasized productivity at the expense of
quality and began to lose many of customers as competition increased.
After World War II, many quality experts to slowly cause a Paradigm Shift to everybody in
the global marketplace introduced some revolutionary ideas to the world. To name but few, W.
Edwards Deming, Philip B. Crosby and Joseph M. Juran.
OBJECTIVE
To cover the background and ideology of the 3 Quality Gurus (Deming, Juran & Crosby) who
contributed to the Quality Science and undertakes some aspects of their methodologies in
order to highlight the commonality and differences between the 3 approaches.
SCOPE
The reports will include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

1.

Research Methodology
Introduction
3 Experts on Quality
Gurus define Quality
Gurus Basic Principle
The three approaches: Commonality & Differences
Summary
Conclusion
References

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Due to the tremendous information regarding the three Quality Gurus in addition to the
diversity of books that tackles the Gurus methodology and achievements, this report is based
on an integrated approach in research. The utilised tools and techniques encompass qualitative
and quantitative approaches.
2.

INTRODUCTION

Whoever starts a learning process about quality quickly becomes familiar with the names of
the 3 Gurus: Philip B. Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, and Joseph M. Juran. Those recognized
quality experts have been carrying forth the message of quality for more than three decades.
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Nevertheless, there is always a consistent demand for information about the unique approach
of each of these experts. This essay concentrates on the approaches of Deming, Juran and
Crosby as comprehensive management philosophies introducing ideas such as: improvements
and customer satisfaction through leadership.
3.

THREE EXPERTS ON QUALITY

W. Edwards Deming, Joseph M. Juran and Philip B. Crosby pursued their efforts and devoted
their lives to helping organizations improve the quality of their products and services. Their
impact is now worldwide and their accomplishments eminent.
DEMING, W. Edwards
W. Edwards Deming, senior of the three, at 91, he continues to teach and consult Deming holds
a Ph.D. in physics, but is a statistician by experience. He is an best known for leading Japanese
businesses on the course that has made them leaders in quality and productivity throughout
the world. In recognition of Deming, the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers
established the Deming Prize.
U. S. recognition of Demings methods of quality improvement came late in 1980
He has been called The Father of the Third Wave of the Industrial Revolution Deming is author
of many books, to name but few; Out of the Crisis (1986); Quality, Productivity, and
Competitive Position (1982); as well as of numerous papers. Deming is the recipient of many
awards, including the Order of the Sacred Treasure of Japan and the Shewhart Medal from the
American Society of Quality Control.
JURAN, Joseph M.
Joseph Juran, 87, has worked devotedly to establish his own institute, which provides
education, training, and consulting in how to manage for quality. Juran holds degrees in
electrical engineering and law. He is also well known in Japan for his contributions to the
practice of total quality control.
In the early 1950s, Juran introduced the Pareto principle, which he popularised as the principle
of the vital few and the trivial many. Juran is also known for the Juran trilogy and the concept
of managerial breakthrough. He is the chief editor of many writings, to name but few; The
Quality Control Handbook (1988), Juran on Leadership for Quality (1989); Juran on Planning for
Quality (1988)
Juran has received the Order of the Sacred Treasure of Japan the Australian Organization for
Quality Control established the Juran Medal in 1975.
CROSBY, Philip B.
Philip B. Crosby, 65, is an internationally known quality expert. He has established a Quality
College, which has trained more than 100,000 managers.
In 1979, Crosbys book Quality is Free was published and became a best seller in the field of
management. Crosby is also the author of many books, to name but few; Leading (1990); Lets
Talk Quality (1989) He became Director of Quality and Corporate Vice President of ITT
Corporation, where he spent 14 years. In 1991 Crosby In 1991, Crosby retired from the firm
Philip Crosby Associates (PCA) and started a new company, Career IV, Inc., for the purpose of
conducting seminars, writing books, and conducting a limited lecture tour. He passed away in
August 18, 2001 leaving the world yet anchoring in our minds as the Zero Defects Guru.
4.

GURUS DEFINE QUALITY

DEMING

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Deming does not define quality in a single phrase. He asserts that the customer can only define
the quality of any product or service.
Definitions extracted from his writings (Lowe & Mazzeo, 1986, Out of the Crisis) reflect this
emphasis on quantitative methods, the application of which results in products having:
A. A predictable degree of uniformity resulting from reduced variability
B. Lower cost
C. Suitability for the market
The difficulty in defining quality is to translate future needs of the user into measurable
characteristics, so that a product can be designed and turned out to give satisfaction at a price
that the user will pay (Deming, 1986, p. 169).
JURAN
Juran defines quality as fitness for use. He stresses a balance between product features and
products free from deficiencies. As used by Juran, the word product refers to the output of
any process, and that includes goods as well as services (Juran & Gryna, 1988).
The second element of Jurans definition of quality addresses products free from deficiencies.
Jurans definition of quality reflects his strong orientation to meeting customers expectations.
Anyone affected by the product is considered a customer, according to Juran. This group
includes the internal customers, and the external customers.
CROSBY
To Crosby, quality means conformance to requirements (Crosby, 1979).
To Crosby, quality is either present or not present. There is no such thing as differing levels of
quality. Crosby refers to this as the price of non-conformance. To aid managers in tracking the
cost of doing things wrong, he developed the following formula:
Cost of Quality (COQ) = Price of Conformance (POC) + Price of non-conformance (PONC).
The POC refers to the cost of getting things done right the first time. PONC provides
management with information regarding the wasted cost and a visible indication of
progress as the organization improves.
5.

Gurus Basic Principle

DEMING
Deming takes a systems and leadership approach to quality. Concepts associated with his
approach include:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
A.

The System of Profound Knowledge

The PlanDoCheckAct Cycle
Prevention by Process Improvement
The Chain Reaction for Quality Improvement
Common Cause and Special Cause Variation
The 14 Points; and
The Deadly and Dreadful Diseases.
System of Profound Knowledge

Deming states: Without profound knowledge, management action can cause ruination
(Deming, 1989, revised 1991). It is made up of four theories:

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Theory of Systems.
A system is a series of functions or activities within an organization that work together for the
aim of the organization (Deming, 1989, revised 1991).
Theory of Variation.
Measurement of variation provides the means for predicting the behaviour of a system.
Theory of Knowledge.
Occasionally breakthroughs occur that produce rapid advances in knowledge, but the general
process is that of slow, incremental growth based upon experimentation, guided by theory.
Theory of Psychology.
People are different from one another, and it is managements responsibility to be aware of
those differences and use them to optimise performance.
B.

The PlanDoCheckAct Cycle

The concept of ongoing improvement is illustrated by the PlanDoCheckAct (PDCA) cycle .

C.

Prevention by Process Improvement

His approach is a shift from detection to prevention. To Deming, the prevention approach to
quality is achieved by process analysis, control, and improvement.
D.

Chain Reaction for Quality Improvement

Demings philosophy can best be depicted by what he calls the chain reaction for quality
improvement (Deming, 1986, p. 3). To appreciate fully the meaning of improving quality in
Demings chain reaction, an understanding of the concept of variation is required.
E.

Common Cause and Special Cause Variation

Deming says that theres no such thing as two of a kind, since variation is inherent in
everything we do. Deming has labelled sources of variation as common cause and special cause.
F.

14 Points

According to Deming, the 14 Points or obligations apply in any organization.

Deming says, Adoption and action on the 14 points are a signal that the management intend to
stay in business and aim to protect investors and jobs (Deming, 1986, p.23).
G.

Deadly and Dreadful Diseases

Deming categorizes roadblocks to institutionalising the transformation as deadly diseases and

dreadful diseases.
The cure for deadly diseases requires a complete change of management style. The dreadful
diseases are management practices that are harmful, but, in Demings view, are easier to cure.

JURAN
Juran proposes a strategic and structured approach to achieve quality including:
A. The Spiral of Progress in Quality
B. The Breakthrough Sequence
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C. The ProjectbyProject Approach

D. The Juran Trilogy, and
E. The principle of the Vital Few and Trivial Many.
A.

The Spiral of Progress in Quality

The spiral shows actions necessary before a product or service can be introduced to the
market. Each department in the spiral is responsible to carry out special function; and assigned
a share of the responsibility with other department in the company such as human relations,
finance, and quality (Juran & Gryna, 1988, p. 2.4).
B.

Breakthrough Sequence

Breakthrough is a dynamic, decisive technique leading to higher levels of performance (Juran,

1964). All breakthroughs follow the same sequence; Policy making - Setting objectives Breakthrough in attitudes - Use of Pareto principle - Organizing for breakthrough in knowledge
- Creation of steering arm - Creation of diagnostic arm Diagnosis -Breakthrough in cultural
pattern - Transition to the new level.
C.

ProjectbyProject Approach

The quality improvement methodology requires projectbyproject implementation. His

approach requires that members of the involved teams develop skills in team leadership and
team participation and acquire knowledge of problemsolving tools.
D.

The Juran Trilogy

This trilogy states that management for quality consists of three interrelated qualityoriented
processesquality planning, quality control, and quality improvement (Juran, 1986).
Juran compares the activities of the trilogy with those of financial operations; quality planning
is equivalent to budgeting, quality control to cost control, and quality improvement to cost
reduction.
E.

The Vital Few and the Trivial Many

Juran applied this concept to the industrial world to classify problems of quality. He stressed
the prioritisation problem solving using the Pareto diagram.

CROSBY
The foundation of Crosbys approach is prevention. His approach to quality is best described by
the following concepts:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
A.

Do It Right the First Time

Zero Defects and Zero Defects Day
The Four Absolutes of Quality
The Prevention Process
The Quality Vaccine; and
The Six Cs.
Do It Right the First Time

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He stresses that the way to manage quality is by prevention, not detection and testing. To
Crosby, any product that falls within its design specifications is a quality product (Garvin &
March, 1986).
B.

Zero Defects and Zero Defects Day

Zero Defects does mean that every individual in the organization is committed to meet the
requirement the first time, every time, and that not meeting the requirement is not
acceptable. He created a Zero Defects Day that provides a forum for management and
employees to reaffirm its commitment to quality.
C.

Four Absolutes of Quality

To Crosby Quality improvement begins with the four absolutes of quality management:
1.

Quality is conformance to the requirements: All the actions necessary to run an

organization produce a product and or service, and deal with customers must be met and
agreed.
2.
The system of quality is prevention: Management must consciously be committed to a
preventionoriented work environment.
3.
The performance standard is Zero Defects (Do it right the first time)
4.
The measurement of quality is the price of non-conformance: Non-conformance is a
management tool for diagnosing an organizations effectiveness and efficiency. This
reasoning led to Crosbys famous phrase, Quality is free, but it is not a gift (Crosby, 1979).
To implement his quality improvement process, Crosby delineates a 14step approach
representing the techniques for managing quality improvement and communicating the four
absolutes.
D.

Prevention Process

Crosbys approach addresses prevention rather than inspection and correction of errors. Crosby
suggests this is a continuing activity.
E.

Quality Vaccine

He has formulated a quality vaccine that consists of three distinct management actions
determination, education, and implementation. Top management is responsible for continually
administering the vaccine.
F.

Six Cs

The first stage, or C, is comprehension, which addresses the importance of understanding

what is meant by quality.
The second C is commitment, which represents the stage when managers establish a quality
policy.
The third is competence; developing an education and training plan.
The fourth C is communication; all efforts must be documented and success stories published.
The fifth is correction, which focuses on prevention and performance.
The sixth is continuance, which emphasizes that the process must become a way of life in
the organization.

6.

THE THREE APPROACHES: COMMONALITY & DIFFERENCES

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The approaches of Crosby, Deming, and Juran are not supposed to be programs as a general
rule; they do not have starting and ending dates. These are management philosophies targeting
longterm improvements by practicing and implementing strategic planning for quality. They
urge the pride in workmanship, education, and the work environment as well as to team
building, teamwork, cooperation, and participation, all essential to cultural change.
THE COMMONALITY
Crosby, Deming, and Juran agree that:

To establish an organizational culture focusing mainly on the commitment to quality is the

managements responsibility.
The mission of the organization must be clearly communicated to everyone, and all
management action must lead to fulfilling that mission.
Continuous education and training at all levels is essential to promote the concept of
quality and to develop employee skills and knowledge.
Effective communication, cooperation, and teamwork throughout the organization are
essential.
More than 85 percent of all problems associated with quality can be attributed to
management policy or action. This means that management action is required to achieve
improvements.
The pursuit of customerfocused quality is a longterm process that will not produce results
overnight. The improvements will be evident over time in terms of reduced costs, but, more
importantly, organizations will eventually be able to anticipate and prevent problems.
Current inspection methods to achieve quality are not effective in producing a quality
product at an affordable price.
There are some processes where inspection will always be required, but t is important to
eliminate inspection as a means to achieving quality.
Cost and quality are not in competition with one another.
The three experts distinguish clearly between internal and external customers, and all support
the practice of involving the suppliers in the quality effort. It is impossible to achieve quality
when products or services provided by suppliers are inferior. These approaches also require the
use of measurement and problemsolving techniques, but the emphasis on their use varies.

THE DIFFERENCES
As a result of studying and valuating the three approaches, a number of differences arise in
terms of Use of measurement, Goal setting, Supplier relationships, and Leadership activities.
Use of Measurement
Crosby, Deming, and Juran recognize measurement concept as vital to the process of improving
the organization, yet they use it in different ways.
Both Crosby and Juran explained that measurement has to focus on the cost of quality. They
use the reduction in cost as an indicator to meet customer requirements.

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Quality Quill

Deming put more weight to the unknown costs (e.g. Impact from loosing a customer). He
explained that measuring and meeting customer needs and expectations are major to
implementing quality improvements. He emphasis more on quantitative methods and
statistical methods rather than did his counterparts.
Goal Setting
To Crosby, the ultimate goal should be defectfree products and services.
To him, a quality product or service results when the process has consistently produced
something that falls within specification limits.
Deming, on the other hand, considers that being within specifications is just the first step to
continuous process improvement. He advocates reducing process variation on a continuing basis
to improve quality. Deming also opposes the use of numerical goals and quotas to manage
work.
Juran addresses qualityrelated goals and companywide objectives, but more important to
him is the deployment of goals throughout the organization. Strategic goals need to be
deployed to all divisions and sections of the organization, and more specific goals need to be
deployed to people so that they know what to do.
Supplier Relationships
The three advocates view the role of suppliers differently.
Deming favours the practice of working with a single supplier, where feasible, to reduce
variability of incoming materials. To maintain longterm contracts, suppliers will be more
likely to improve their own processes to provide better products or services.
Crosby and Juran recognize some of the advantages of single suppliers, but they take a more
conservative view and simply advocate reducing the number of suppliers. Crosby and Juran
consider it important to have different suppliers for the same product when the product is a
critical one.
Leadership Commitment
Crosby, Deming, and Juran, each emphasizes leader participation differently.
Crosby describes the Zero Defects Day as the time when management reaffirms its
commitment to quality and communicates it to all employees.
Similarly, Juran presents the Jurans annual quality program used by managers to communicate
to all employees managements commitment to quality improvement.
Although Deming acknowledges that top management commitment is imperative, he does not
describe a program for accomplishing it. To him, the leaders new job is to remove barriers and
create a culture that value helping others to do a better job and to feel pride in workmanship
(Deming, 1986).
7.

SUMMARY

SUMMARISING
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Deming defines quality in terms of current and future needs of the customer. He places
emphasis on statistical thinking and statistical methods. An understanding of profound
knowledge (e.g., systems theory) is essential to his approach to quality. He gives management
the responsibility of adopting the 14 points and of leading by example, but does not provide a
stepbystep approach on how to implement these roles and responsibilities. The application of
the PDCA cycle and quantitative methods to analysis and reduction of variation in all work
processes is another important contribution, as is the distinction he makes between special and
common causes of variation.
Demings approach is associated with the application of SPC. As described by Deming, problem
solving is similar to putting out a fire, that is, removing problems to put the process right back
where it was, but that such action does not make the process better (an insight of Juran years
ago; see Deming, 1986, p. 51).
CROSBY
Crosbys main point is that preventing defects and conforming to requirements achieve quality.
He urges activities (e.g., Zero Defects Day). The ultimate goal of his approach is to provide
defectfree products and services to the customers.
One of Crosbys strengths is his emphasis on transforming the culture of the organization.
Crosby provides education on the concepts of quality management, but realizes that each
organization must create its own quality improvement process plan.
Second, Crosby has a structured training program for managers that are taught at the Quality
College. His approach emphasizes measuring the cost of doing things wrong versus the cost of
doing things right the first time and does not emphasize a statistical basis for reduction of
variation. As a result, organizations that do not focus on statistical methods may not be able
to achieve improvements beyond initial cost reductions.
JURAN
The projectbyproject approach is at the heart of Jurans philosophy.
Using the concepts of the spiral of progress and the breakthrough sequence, managers are able
to target and improve specific areas.
Quality is defined by fitness for use and customer requirements.
His approach focuses on quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement processes
as a way to manage for quality.
Juran advocates the annual formation of teams to analyse problems and find solutions to
them. Like Deming, he also emphasizes the use of graphics and statistical methods. Juran has
devoted more than 300 pages in his Quality Control Handbook (1988) to statistical methods,
and he views them as essential tools.
One of the processes addressed by the Juran trilogy concerns problem solving and removal of
problem causes.
The following table summarizes the 3 Gurus approaches and clarify the commonality and
differences.
A comparison of Deming, Juran, and Crosby
W. Deming

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J.M. Juran

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P. Crosby

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Basic orientation
toward quality

Technical

Process

Motivational

What is quality?

No faulty systems

Fitness for use;

freedom from
trouble

Conformance to
requirements

Who is responsible
for quality?

Management

Management

Management

Importance of
customer
requirements as
standard

Very important

Very important;
customers at each
step of product life
cycle

Very important

Goal of quality

Meet/exceed customer
needs; continuous
improvement

Please customer;
continuous
improvement

Continuous
improvement; zero
defects

Methods for
achieving quality

Statistical; constancy of
purpose; continual
improvement;
cooperation between
functions

Cost of quality;
quality trilogy:
planning, control,
improvement

14-point framework;

Chief elements of
implementation

14-point program

Breakthrough
projects; quality
council; quality
teams

14-step program; cost

of quality; quality
management "maturity
grid"

Role of training

Very important for

managers and workers

Very important for

managers and
employees

Very important for

managers and
employees

8.

CONCLUSIONS

While all of the 3 Gurus have their own ideas on how quality should be measured and managed,
it is clear that Deming, Juran, and Crosby points together to the same direction. They all insist
on the customer being the final arbiter of what quality is or is not with respect to a particular
product or service.
Using any of those Gurus approach in organizations will certainly develop its system and
improve its way of management. The key to successful implementation of quality principles
and methods is tied to leadership.
And all three see the importance of feedback in any mechanism designed to measure and
manage quality: Demings Continuous Improvement Curl, the Juran Trilogy, and Crosbys Price
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of Non-Conformance are all feedback mechanisms designed to answer one question: is the
product performing in the marketplace as expected? If not, why not?
The difference lies mainly in perspective. Demings perspective is customer-driven, Jurans is
more engineering-driven, and Crosbys perspective transcends both of these, taking upper view
of management.

9.

REFERENCES

The Members Library of the American Society for Quality, http://www.asq.org/info/library/

Dr. Deming's 1950 Lecture to Japanese Top Management,
Article by Tantara Inc., a business-consulting firm
What Would Deming Say? Article by James B. Spigener and Paul J. Angelo
Quality Progress Magazine, March 2001,
Comparison Article published in the "Quality" magazine, May 1992
Crosby, P. B. (1988). The eternally successful organization.
Crosby, P. B. (1989). Lets talk quality.
Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Centre for Advanced Engineering Study.
THREE EXPERTS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT, article by the Department of the Navys Total
Quality Leadership Office, Office of the Under Secretary of the Navy.
Public Sector Continuous Improvement Library at Clemson University
http://deming.eng.clemson.edu/pub/psci/library.html
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The Juran Institute

http://www.juran.com/research/back_articles.html
The Electronic Deming Study Group Guide:
http://deming.eng.clemson.edu/pub/cqen/dsg/dsgguide.html
The Deming Electronic Network:
http://deming.eng.clemson.edu/pub/den/

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